Category Archives: Careers Advice

Careers Advice, CV Tips, Friday Snippet, Networking, PMO, Project Management, Q&A

What else can I be doing? – Questions asked, Friday snippet

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Following on from my previous blog posts addressing questions asked during consultations this week we have a good question from a project support professional wanting to progress:
 I have what I feel is a strong CV and have built up a good level of experience in the project management field – I have also taken my PRINCE2 and various other in-house PM courses to bolster my chances of progressing in my career. Is there anything else I can be doing?
Emma, Project Support Administrator; South East.


Hi Emma, many thanks for your question – I can see from your question and current position you wish to climb the career ladder and are doing all the right things so far. I agree there is more you could be doing to help the progression such as gaining further experience and networking.
In your current role supporting a number of projects’ administration you could volunteer yourself up to assist a project manager directly either by coordinating activities or by taking on smaller projects (or aspects of them), in doing this you will build up trust with the delivery team and should get noticed for the right reasons. A great deal of projects seem to be lacking resources in the current climate so any offer to ease the burden should be gratefully received. Try talking to the programme or PSO manager and explain your interest in progress and being more heavily involved in the “doing” aspect. Of course you need to understand that such a move will increase your workload as you will still have your daily duties to perform. The more exposure you can gain in the delivery environment, the more extensive your skill set will be and whether you wish to progress in the support or delivery aspect of project management you will gain great experience. A good support person would ideally have exposure to delivery too; likewise a good delivery person will need the stern foundations of the support aspect to be effective in the team environment.
Networking is a great way to gain some good exposure to others in the field – often the larger project management networking events are coupled with presentations and seminars which are a great way to learn more about the reality of various aspects of project management. There are a number of organisations which run events (some are free) which I believe are a great starting point for networking. Go along and see what they have to offer and start getting to know professionals in the field – you can gain a great deal of knowledge and insider information from these people and moving forward, you may impress one enough to stick in their mind when a new position appears in their team.
I shall continue with the Q&A – if you have any questions you would like answering, get in touch: www.thecvrighter.co.uk

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, PMO, Project Management, Sector Advice

PMO empowered

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Since the release of the OGC P3O guidelines and subsequent qualifications in 2008 the PMO became a hot topic in organisations as the move from the perceived “expensive typing pool” was encouraged to shift to an empowered state where it provides an interface between senior management and project management within the business. However the subsequent recession in 2009 and further doom and gloom with the global economic climate, we have seen a dip in the level of PMO roles available in the UK. Over the past year or so the shift seems to have moved towards effective programme and project managers taking the helm with PMO responsibilities being part of their remit. As the recession dictated a lower yield of roles generally in the PPM field it seemed to focus on key deliverers. Understandably if there are lower budgets but projects still need delivering the PMO will fall short. But I have always believed that the best PMO people will have experience in both supporting and managing projects as greater understanding of the reality of delivery can benefit those supporting and vice versa. Therefore I feel there is a great opportunity for PMO people to develop themselves further by taking on delivery of projects to strengthen their knowledge and understanding and demonstrating their adaptability to both areas.

There are still some PMO roles about so it is not all bad news but the competition is high and with employers increasingly asking for candidates who currently work in that industry it becomes harder for PMO professionals to transition into new roles beyond their sector. I do not agree with the employers as the role of PMO is about method not necessarily the “product” but in a risk averse world this is becoming the norm.

Moving forward I advise you offer up yourself for delivery in your current role as a PMO, taking on small projects to start and gaining experience and trust from programme managers etc will always strengthen your CV – but taking these measures will also place you in a better position for the job market today. Through being empowered in the PMO you will already have great stakeholder engagement experience and will also know the structured method to delivery, now it is time to put the theory into practice.

 

Careers Advice, CV Tips, CV Writing, Job Applications, PMO, Project Management

What’s the worst that can happen? 8 gaffs when applying for roles

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Applying for a new role can be tedious at the best of times – we’ve all been there, wondering after making a few applications is we’ll ever hear anything back from recruiters and employers. In a deflated state we start to become less professional to sending off our CVs as there seems little if no point in making any extra effort as no effort is offered in response. I have compiled a list of application mistakes below – some of which do seem a little farfetched, but having spent 5 years in recruitment trust me it does happen!

  1. Copy and pasting parts of the job advert into your CV – yes we have seen a number of candidates who feel they match a role so well that they simply take the requirements of the advert and paste into their remit and then apply for the role. Shockingly, these candidates do not think they will be found out.
  2. Applying for any role with “Project” in the title – this can be from Project Administrator paying £20k to Head of Projects paying £80k. There is a huge difference in requirements and skills required for these roles and by applying for roles at polar opposites of the scale you are demonstrating you do not read the adverts or you simply do not understand the roles – either way, it’s a quick route to being completely discarded for any role by that recruiter.
  3. Sending in an application for a Project Manager role when describing yourself as anything other than a PM and the cover letter even states you are applying for a completely different role. Attention to detail?
  4. Sending an email to apply for a role without attaching your CV and inviting the recruiter to call you to discuss. Unfortunately, you are highly unlikely to get that call – recruiters tend to have a long list of applications and will be managing more than one role, they need to see your CV first in order to decide whether you have the correct skill set for their role.
  5. Sending an application and 5 minutes later calling the recruiter to understand if you will be put forward for a role. Slow down! Give it at least a few hours before you chase up for that kind of feedback, it is OK to call and check the email has been received earlier though.
  6. Calling before applying and being rude to the receptionist – yes it has happened several times over, on occasions it was the MD answering the call. Everyone deserves to be treated pleasantly and you just don’t know who you are speaking with so be polite as rudeness is reported to the recruiter. First impressions last!
  7. Faxing your CV to the recruiter – this is not a good idea, faxes get lost in piles of invoices etc and the quality of the print is not ideal. Keep to emailing electronic copies; it’s quicker, cleaner and more cost effective for you. Plus, in a world where we email a lot for work – demonstrating your ability and willingness to do so is expected.
  8. Stating your family and their education etc – don’t do it, the CV is about you and although it is fantastic that you have a son aged 15 currently taking his GCSEs and a daughter currently studying for a journalism degree at university; they are not you! Keep the CV professional and solely about you and your work (and of course hobbies).

First impressions really do last; so no matter how frustrated or fed up of applying for roles you are – make sure each application is a good one. You may not be quite right for that role in the recruiters’ eyes but you will keep in their mind for future applications if you are professional and your CV is good. For advice on applications and a free CV review make contact today: www.thecvrighter.co.uk  our CV review is free of charge with no obligation to take up our services.

Careers Advice, Contractors, Job Applications, PMO, Project Management

Moving from permanent to contract Project Management roles

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If you easily lose interest in your role and fine you want to move on regularly – you may be a perfect candidate for contracting. We are all different, some like to firmly plant their roots with an organisation and stay there for years; others want the challenge of a fresh portfolio and new faces. If you like change then I can highly recommend contracting, I have done it myself and it really does put a fresh perspective on your working life.

Contracting can offer a wealth of experience to your skill set and often the challenges faced on such assignments are not for the feint hearted. Typically an organisation will identify the need for resource on a particular area in the business – this can be anything from implementing a new IT system to streamlining the business. However as the contract roles are usually priced at a reasonably high day rate, the onus is on a professional in that field to join the organisation and implement the change. There are rarely, if ever, any inductions and no settling in periods. It’s time to hit the ground running. You will be self equipped with a laptop and mobile which you will need plugging into the business system (although financial services do tend to offer laptops and mobiles for security reasons) and downloading various applications used by the business, then off you go!

There is little room for forging friendships in such roles however an ability to quickly form strong business relationships is essential. You are there to perform a role and this may inevitably involve redundancies which means it’s no popularity contest – even if redundancies are not in the schedule, employees are often wary of contractors joining the team so you may meet a some hostility. These are considerations to make when looking at contract assignments – a lot of contractors I know are thick skinned and appreciate the day rate is commensurate to the task in hand.

If you are looking to move from your permanent role to a contract role you need to plan ahead and think about your notice period as a starting point – I have yet to come across a contract role which will allow for a months’ notice period. Actually, most contract roles need someone to be in the job within a week if not days of being interviewed. Can you afford to hand in your notice? Weigh up the risk of not securing a new contract for weeks and potentially months after finishing up your permanent contract.

Do your research – understand what level day rate you should be pitching yourself at, remember your first couple of assignments are crucial to gain credibility as a contractor so do not pitch yourself too high whilst trying to gain valuable experience and evidence that you can hit the ground running.

Your CV also needs to be a little different than a when looking to secure permanent work – to discuss, please get in touch with your CV for a free review and to talk further about contract recruitment. www.thecvrighter.co.uk